It’s so far away
In my last blog post I didn’t divulge much information on my travel East, but not for lack of having a good time, I just wanted to dedicate a whole blog post to it because I had a really good time.
On 9th April 2017, I found myself on a long 11 hour flight, one where all fear and anxiety was dampened by the fitful sleep that I succumbed to – you definitely never want to be awake throughout a 6+ hour flight – I recommend alcohol, it’ll knock you right out. I was pretty fortunate to have an empty seat next to me so compared to everyone else flying economy, I had the luxury to put my feet up, providing I didn’t kick the guy sitting two seats over.
Thankfully I landed in Hong Kong International Airport at around 5pm Hong Kong time and from there I made my way with my entourage (really just my work colleague and some journalists we were chaperoning) across the border to Shenzhen.
First impressions
It was humid. Not Africa humid, but humid nonetheless. Basically, Nigerian humidity left you still hot, sweaty and sticky without much regard for the fact that you were standing under a cold shower, China humidity left you, well, feeling humid.
Looking around I immediately noticed the smoggy skies. It was actually a wonder that I saw blue heavens and white clouds during my final days in Hong Kong.
My time in Shenzhen
Now, across the border in Shenzhen, although I was there for work, the fun wasn’t limited. On the evenings if I wasn’t eating good food, I was partaking in alcohol-related activities or enjoying some cultural entertainment.
I visited the China Folk Culture Village where I watched the Oriental Dress Show, a show showcasing the different costumes of China. The traditional music and dances were awe-inspiringly beautiful. The ladies were gorgeous and talented. It’s a show that I’ll recommend to anyone looking to get the partial Chinese experience.
Once the show ended, my group and I took a tour around the miniature villages that depict famous sites around China. It was like seeing the whole of China in one evening. Everything was there, even a miniature version of the Great Wall of China, which despite its petite size was still so long.
That same night we went to a bar where we consumed alcohol and danced the night away with some locals. Such fun people!
I mustn’t neglect to mention the food because you cannot go to China and not mention the food. Every day I was presented with a feast fit for a Queen. The food was always plenty and filling but my highlight was my first ever hotpot experience where you order different meats, fish and vegetables and cook them within a spicy or non-spicy stock. We were even treated to a little performance where one talented man did a noodle dance and another, dressed up as a Chinese character, gave us a little show. What a good night!
Shenzhen was amazing, but alas, my work there came to an end it was onward to Hong Kong for some non-work related personal time!
Tall buildings everywhere
My first thought when I arrived to Kowloon, Hong Kong was ‘Wow, this place really reminds me of New York’. The buildings were so tall and illuminated by bright neon lights and people were still roaming the streets at 10pm. It had such a great vibe, I was loving it.
My main purpose for visiting Hong Kong was to buy fabric but to avoid repeating what I’ve already said in my previous blog post, I’ll just conclude that fabric shopping was an interesting experience and haggling for everything was entertaining. You must check out the video of my fabric shopping experience in Hong Kong.
Markets are plentiful in Hong Kong and I tried to visit as many types as possible. The Ladies market had variety and I bought a few bags for family members. I also visited markets on Hong Kong Island.
To conclude my time in Hong Kong, I went up the Victoria Peak Mountain on a tram and was able to get a high up 360 view of Hong Kong – it was breath-taking!
So that’s a quick wrap up of my trip to the Eastern parts of the world, more information about the places I visited (text in red) and other places to consider in Hong Kong below.
Places to visit in Hong Kong
| Apliu Street Flea Market (Electronics) | Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon MTR Sham Shui Po Station, Exit C2 |
| Cheung Sha Wan Road (Fashion) | Cheung Sha Wan Road, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon MTR Shum Shui Po Station Exit C1 |
| Fabric Market | Tai Nan and Ki Lung Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon MTR Shum Shui Po Station Exit A2 |
| Goldfish Market | Tung Choi Street North, Mong Kok, Kowloon MTR Prince Edward Station, Exit B2. Walk east along Prince Edward Road West until you reach the market; or, MTR Mong Kok East Station, Exit C. Walk to Sai Yee Street via the footbridge and follow the signs. |
| Bird Garden | Yuen Po Street, Prince Edward, Kowloon MTR Prince Edward Station Exit B1. Walk along Prince Edward Road west towards the Mongkok Stadium for about 15 minutes. |
| Granville Road (Fashion) | Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station B2. Walk along Cameron Road to Chatham Road South, turn into Granville Road. |
| Ladies’ Market | Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon MTR Mong Kok Station, Exit E2. Walk along Nelson Street for two blocks. |
| Temple Street Night Market | Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon
MTR Yau Ma Tei Station, Exit C, turn onto Temple Street at Man Ming Lane |
| Wong Tai Sin Temple | Wong Tai Sin Station – Kwun Tong Line |
| Chun Yeung Street (Wet Market) – Food | Chun Yeung Street, North Point, Hong Kong Island Take a tram to North Point at Causeway Bay |
| Dried Seafood Street and Tonic Food Street | Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island MTR Sheung Wan Station Exit A2. Walk towards Queen’s Road Central via Hillier Street. |
| Gough Street (Designer Homeware) | Gough Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island MTR Sheung Wan Station Exit A2. Walk along the Bonham Street to Wellington Street, turn to the Gough Street at Aberdeen Street. |
| Jardine’s Crescent (Street Market) | Jardine’s Crescent, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island MTR Causeway Bay Station, Exit F |
| Li Yuen Street East and West (Fashion) | Li Yuen Streets East and West, Central, Hong Kong Island MTR Central Station, Exit C. Walk along Des Voeux Road Central towards Sheung Wan. |
| Victoria Peak | Walk from MTR Central Station Exit J2 to take the Peak Tram from the Peak Tram Lower Terminus on Garden Road |
